Writing and teaching have been in my blood for as long as I can remember. As a sixth-grader, I simultaneously started my elementary school’s first student newspaper, the P.S. 11 Courier (Look it up; I’m sure the Library of Congress has a copy!) and had my first paid job as a tutor of English to two Japanese children, ages 8 and 5. I cut my teeth in professional publishing by working first at Newsweek, and then at People, Life, Condé Nast Traveler and Sesame Street magazines and The Charlotte Observer. After I got a master’s in English Lit at Rutgers University, I became a staff writer and editor at a small educational development company in New York City. From then on, I was hooked on creating engaging and effective school materials that would inspire children to love learning as much as I’ve always done.

I’ve been a freelancer for more than 35 years, working with all of the major educational publishers and many developers (of which Sikana has been by far the best). I also have a graduate certificate in gerontology and am a community educator and national blogger on older adult issues. Children and elders…learning never ends. My calling is to serve these populations as best I can with passion and skill.